


A Perfect Storm

by Della_Aarohi



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-16
Updated: 2019-03-20
Packaged: 2019-10-11 07:55:40
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 17,731
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17442944
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Della_Aarohi/pseuds/Della_Aarohi
Summary: They had acted swiftly; seeking justice for an unspeakable crime but eleven years later, her innocence was proven. Betrayed by those closest to her and broken beyond measure, Hermione Granger is once again asked to save those who revelled in her downfall. Would she once again step into battle and selfless sacrifice herself or would she chose vengeance and let magic do the rest?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author, Della Aarohi. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

FORGIVE US, MISS GRANGER,  
By Pravati Thomas.  
Journalist for The Daily Prophet

 

Today, my readers, I shall tell you a story.

The months following the downfall of Lord Voldermort were difficult for us all. Those of us who survived were faced with the insurmountable task of rebuilding our world.

With the pageantry only known in our world, we honored our fallen warriors with galas and monuments. Justice was swift and deadly for those who were found guilty of following a madman in his campaign for blood purity. Families who had fled our borders in fear, returned in their numbers. We rebuilt Hogwarts to her former glory,washing away all the darkness that seemed to linger there since the conclusion of the Final Battle.

Bit by bit, piece by piece, we began to heal and a blanket of security and calm fell upon us.

Then, taking us all by complete surprise, war heroine and First Class, Order of Merlin recipient, Miss Hermione Granger, was overheard speaking to the then Acting Headmistress of Hogwarts, Professor Minerva McGonagall at a post-war celebratory gala, about including wizarding customs and practices in the school's curriculum.

After my fellow journalist, Rita Skeeter, reported to you all what had been overheard, we were quick to make our own assumptions. Wasn't what the golden girl proposing things that were taught to pureblood children by their parents? Isn't that what we fought against? Just months after the war ended, did she want to give the purebloods a chance to spread their pureblood mania?

How dare she!

Our outrage was swift and unforgiving.

Before either of the two women could explain themselves, we raised our voices in protest. We smeared their names in the press calling into question their characters and their past deeds. We forced Professor McGonagall to answer for her inaction when Severus Snape was the Headmaster of Hogwarts during Lord Voldermort's reign and for the support she gave to him to be reinstated as the headmaster after his recovery from the war.

When it came to Miss Granger, we sank even lower. We labelled her as a woman with loose morals. We hinted that the Malfoy Family may have found favour with Miss Granger and that she was using her status as member of the golden trio to bring about the changes that Lord Voldermort himself wanted on behalf of the Malfoy Family.

All we did was hint that to you, dear readers, and your hatred did the rest.

As a result, Miss Granger was subjected to hours of questioning by the Auror Department followed by a lengthy investigation, all of which was made public by this very publication.

However, no basis was found on which a case could be built. As Harry Potter himself explained, "We searched everywhere and everything that we could think off. I know her better than anyone else and if she doesn't want us to find anything, then we won't be able to. There may be evidence out there. We just have to be able to find it. Remember, though, she is called the brightest witch of our age for a reason."

We celebrated weeks later when she was quite publicly uninvited to wedding of Harry Potter and his love, Ginevra Weasley. We may not have been able get her removed from her internship at the Ministry of Magic but at least we had succeeded in removing her presence and influence from the saviour of our world.

No one uttered a word though, when the parents of students who were enrolled at Hogwarts received a letter detailing a new subject that would be introduced to students in the new academic year. The subject: Wizarding Principles and Practices. The purpose of this subject was to educate children on wizarding customs such as wizarding courting and general etiquette. They would also be taught about wizarding festivals and how to properly conduct the rituals and celebrations attached to each festival. It would only be taught to first years as the school sought to reintroduce practices that were long forgotten because they had been left by the wayside simple because muggleborns and even half-bloods were unaware that these practices existed.

Why would we rise against such a topic? Who would be against bringing back the old days where we experienced magic in its purest form? After all, not many observed these festivals again simply because the knowledge was lost. Only pureblood families observed the festivals because they had passed the knowledge from generation to generation.

The next six months passed with not much fanfare, until the announcement of the Marriage Law on the second anniversary of the Final Battle. We never made a ruckus about that law. We willingly gave up our freedom to choose a spouse and happily accepted our marriage to the person who we had the best chances of conceiving children with.

We turned a blind eye to all the women who bore marks of violence and who flinched at their own shadows. We scoffed at the men drinking them self into oblivion and who refused to return to their homes because of what awaited them there.

The true mark of our lack of concern and compassion was reflected in the children themselves. We turned our backs on their cries; on their starvation, negligence and mistreatment. We told the children and ourselves that things would get better. Minister of Magic, Amelia Bones, called all these happenings, "kinks associated with the law," and assured the public that with time, things would work themselves out. Except, things didn't work themselves out. If anything, things got progressively worse.

Then, there Hermione Granger was again, putting herself in the middle of something she had no right to involve herself in. She began to campaign for the abolishment of the law. She called the law and its implementation cruel, callous and inhumane but what would she know? Brightest witch of the age or not, she was only a muggleborn. She couldn't possibly understand our reasoning and she had a reasonably good life under the law.

She was married to Ronald Weasley regardless of her strained relationship with his family. The poor bastard! Admittedly, I was one of the many who questioned how she had been paired with him by the Department of Marriage Law Implementation. There could never be a less suited pair. Regardless, Miss Granger had a great life except, five years of marriage had passed and she had failed to have any children. Sensing this was a point of weaknesses, like the rabid wolves that we are, we attacked.

It was a well-written and beautifully timed article by Rita Skeeter that once again led to Miss Granger being hauled in for questioning and this time we triumphed, my readers. The Aurors found copious amounts of abortion potions in her blood; a crime that was a guaranteed sentence of ten years in Azkaban.

We ensured her imprisonment was well publicized and we threw her quite spectacularly into a cell, shut the door and forgot about her and her causes. We celebrated that small victory while she was left to the mercy of the dementors.

We cheered with Ronald Weasley was allowed to marry allowed another beautiful young lady and we celebrated with abandon when he welcomed his first child into the world within the first year of Miss Granger's imprisonment.

Hermione Granger stayed locked in a cell. We forgot that she was trying to end the marriages of young women and men who were being abused constantly while trying desperately to save the innocent children caught in the middle. We forgot that she was trying to help us find another way to increase our population size in a manner that would not lead to hurt and pain. We forgot all of that until ten year old Taylor Dame performed accidental magic and killed his abusive father when the child attempted to save his mother.

It took just two days after that incident for the Marriage Law to be repelled and Hermione Granger was released, four months shy of her ten year sentence, with no fanfare. She withdrew from society and accepted a job as assistant to the Librarian of Hogwarts.

We have not heard about Miss Granger until two days ago and let me tell you, my readers, it is a very odd way to hear about her again

Two months ago, Arthur Weasley was rushed to St. Mungo's after suddenly becoming ill. Upon receiving medical treatment, Healer Susan Bones Smith, explained to the family that it appeared that Mr. Weasley's magical core was being drained and there was no medical reason why it should be occurring. Upon request from the healers, Unspeakables were brought in and while they were seeing to Mr. Weasley, Mrs. Lavender Brown-Weasley, wife of Ronald Weasley, collapsed to the floor screaming in pain.

At the time, Mrs. Brown-Weasley was five months pregnant with the couple's fourth child and even though healers began to work immediately on Mrs. Brown-Weasley, they were unfortunately unable to save the baby. Healers explained the unfortunate occurrence as something truly tragic. Healers stated it was as if the child's magical core was drained, in a manner that mirrored what was occurring with the patriarch of the family. It was only because the child was nowhere close to being fully physically developed that it was unable to withstand the loss of it's magic.

Mrs. Molly Weasley and her daughter, Mrs. Ginevra Weasley-Potter immediately began to accuse Miss Hermione Granger of having something to do with what was occurring with their family. Head Auror Harry Potter, accompanied by his team, were preparing to leave to apprehend Miss Granger and bring her in for questioning when Minister of Magic, Amelia Bones, placed an immediate cease to Head Auror Potter's investigation stating that proper procedures were not being followed and that she needed to know what evidence the aurors had to allow for the questioning of Miss Granger to occur.

Ronald Weasley stated that he suspected Miss Granger acted out of jealous and anger because of the how she had been treated by them. After all the entire family, with the exception of William and George Weasley, had quite publicly shunned Miss Granger upon her release from prison.

Others outside of the family did not agree with him though and Hear Auror Potter was ordered to search for new information by the Minister of Magic.

Weeks passed by. Arthur Weasley, although still deathly ill, was alive only because he was receiving small amounts of magic from his sons daily. None of the Weasley women were able to get pregnant or hold a pregnancy to term. Ginevra Weasley - Potter and Angelina Johnson - Weasley both miscarried in the same manner as Mrs. Lavender Brown-Weasley.

The Unspeakables were at a loss until Unspeakable Luna Lovegood-Zabini provided a very unexpected cause. Unspeakable Lovegood-Zabini suggested that maybe magic is the cause. Instead of some illness causing the loss of magic in the Weasley Family, maybe magic was leaving the family. Maybe the Weasleys had done something to upset the balance to magic or maybe the Weasleys had done something to someone who had fought for the balance of magic to be reinstated. Could it be that magic was simply handing down a severe punishment to those who had escaped punishment from us?

That could not possibly make any sense. It was insane just like the person who was giving the suggestion. No one would believe that. Except Minister Amelia Bones did believe it and she requested that the Weasleys be brought in for question. Mrs. Molly Weasley was the first who was brought in for questioning.

Very few people were invited to view the questioning. Because of his relationship to the Weasleys, Head Auror Harry Potter was order to step aside from this investigation by the Minister of Magic. The Minister went further to seek an objective, third party investigator with no ties to the ministry or any other involved to conduct the investigations.

Imagine everyone's surprise when, into the questioning room, walks Order of Merlin, First Class recipient and current Headmaster of Hogwarts, Professor Severus Snape, undoubtedly the best Master of both Mind Magic and Potions to have walked the earth.

Following, my dear readers, is a word for word accounting of the questioning acquired from the records made by Rita Skeeter.

Upon entering the room, Professor Snape turned to address those present.

"Madam Minister and members of this investigative committee, I have just arrived from Hogwarts where, under the supervision of Lady Augusta Longbottom, Lord Elijah Parkinson and Undersecretary to the Minister of Magic Percival Weasley, I proceeded to explore and making copies of all pertinent memories to this matter by using Leigimency on Miss Hermione Granger. Documents that I have handed to your Undersecretary were collected from Miss Granger's Healers. They list all of the potions that Miss Granger was prescribed and had I used veritaserum, these potions would have interacted quite negatively leading to Miss Granger's death. Furthermore, after showing the copied memories to those who were present, we have unanimously decided on a particular line of questioning. We beg the indulgence of this esteemed committee as we proceed to question Mrs. Molly Weasley."

After gaining approval to proceed from the Minister of Magic, the headmaster chose to use veritaserum during the questioning. Three drops of the clear potion and one question was all it took for everyone present to rise to their feet in utter shock.

"When was the first time you gave Miss Granger the abortion potion, Mrs. Weasley?" Professor Snape asked in his signature deep baritone.

"Four months after she got married to my son," came the almost whispered reply that stunned everyone present into silence.

"Was she pregnant at the time?" came the headmaster's second question and even though he spoke softly, there was no mistaking the cold fury that coloured his words.

"I suspected that she was but they were never able to confirm the pregnancy with a healer." Mrs. Weasley muttered through tight lips as a light sheen of sweat began to form on her forehead.

"Did you give her a full dose of the abortion potion?" Headmaster Snape sneered at the now trembling woman, whose blue eyes began darting around the room as if frantically searching for an escape.

"No," came her reply though it sounded more like a pained cry; her battle against the effects of the veritaserum becoming very apparent.

"What did you hope to accomplish by that?" the headmaster spat as he proceeded to the circle the now sobbing woman.

"I had hoped that if she was truly pregnant that she would become ill enough that she would be placed on bed rest and by extension, she would have had to resign from her position," Molly Weasley admitted tearfully; her head lowering in shame while everyone present seemed to draw a strained breath collectively.

"When your son and Miss Granger neither confirmed a pregnancy nor a miscarriage, did you keep dosing her with the abortion potion?" Headmaster Snape inquired; turning his back on the openly sobbing woman and gestured for Minister Amelia Bones to join him on the floor.

"Yes," came the reply of Mrs. Weasley and time seemed to stop for everyone in that room.

What were we hearing? Did Molly Weasley call this upon her own family?

"Minister Bones, as I have already stated, I have already viewed Miss Granger's memories and presented you with the pertinent ones to this case to be viewed and then recorded as her testimony. Be warned that some memories are extremely difficult to experience because of the effects of the dementors. After viewing all of Miss Granger's memories from birth to now, I never once saw her drink an abortion potion on her own accord. What I saw was her eating meals that were prepared only by Mrs. Weasley," Headmaster Snape stated clearly to the room at large as he joined his hands behind his back and taking on the posture of intimidation that is synonymous with Headmaster Severus Snape.

"What do you conclude from this questioning, Professor?" enquired Minister Bones.

"From her own testimony, Molly Weasley was the one feeding Miss Granger abortion potions. Abortion potions are tasteless since the creation of the first abortion potions arose in a time when men wished to get rid of the bastard seeds they had sowed with their mistresses. Small amounts over time do build up obviously but contrary to popular belief, high levels of abortion potions in the human body does not work in the same manner as a contraceptive potion. Even though Mrs. Weasley was feeding her these abortion potions, Miss Granger would have still been able to get pregnant. Only when the fetus was position in the womb would the abortion occur. Furthermore, Miss Granger spent ten years in Azkaban for a crime she did not commit. Did you hope that she would have died in Azkaban, Mrs. Weasley?" Headmaster Snape drawled, looking over at the crying woman who winced openly as if she had been struck by the question.

"No. I never wanted her dead but I hoped she would have thought that the stress and demands of her job were the cause of her not getting pregnant but no. She had to continue on for her ideals and her causes. Why could she not take care of my son? Why was she not staying at home like the others? Why couldn't she give up her work? Her place was at my son's side, in his home and tending his children." Mrs. Weasley shrieked in an almost inhuman manner.

"Madam Minister," Professor Snape stated, "that is the reason why magic has turned against the Weasleys. What everyone failed to remember is that Miss Granger was a champion for magic and was most invested in returning a necessary balance between light and dark magic. Miss Granger had the good sense to see where we were failing and we did not care to see our flaws because we thought mediocre calm was perfection. In magic's eye, everything was far from perfection. So now, Lady Magic is taking vengeance for her champion and restoring the balance her way."

"If you had known this, Professor Snape, why did you not inform me before?" Minister Bones asked.

"Make no mistake, Minister," Professor Snape snapped, rounding on the Minister, "I had no idea this would occur. I suspected that eventually, magic would seek to restore a balance, hence the reason why I took Miss Granger's suggestions and amended the school's curriculum. Additionally, your ministry and the press made her public enemy number one. The woman who keeps saving us as a people is hated because we chose to live with blinders on, denying our flaws and failures because it makes it easier to sleep at night." His response was so chillingly accurate that it haunted me for days, dear readers.

"Is there anyway to save my Arthur?" Mrs. Weasley cried pitifully as a moment of tense silence fell in the room.

"Certainly," Headmaster Snape sneered, sarcasm covering every word. "We simply have to determine what gifts that magic blessed Miss Granger with and return it to her."

"That may not be too difficult," The minister responded after a thoughtful silence.

"You speak without thought," the headmaster rebutted.

"Meaning?" the Minister sighed heavily, her shoulders hunching over as the weight of what they were facing settled on her shoulders.

"I suspect magic blessed Miss Granger with children. I think that is what was stolen from Miss Granger by Mrs. Weasley but due to the poorly done anti-menstrual spell during Miss Granger's incarceration, her fertility as been severely affected. If I am correct, I pity you and the fools that you select to find a solution. Furthermore, due to poor work, vengeful anger and their rush to deliver a conviction on the part of your Auror Department, I shall be advising Miss Granger to sue this ministry and everyone involved for damages," the Headmaster spat gesturing for the guards present to take Mrs. Weasley into custody.

"Headmaster, please….let us not act irrationally," the minister began to plead but was stopped cold in her tracks when Professor Snape let loose the black fury that had been slowly slipping.

"You and your ministry acted irrationally ten years ago!" he roared, "You and your press destroyed a young woman who was still saving your arses and recognized our flaws as a people before you could. With the strength given to me by Lady Magic herself, I will help her in every capacity to bring you to your knees. Mark my words, Minister, many more will fall in magic's path until things are righted," Those were his final words before he swept from the room and took his leave, leaving behind tendrils of his magic that seemed to suffocate all present.

Minutes passed as everyone present looked at each other in search of some idea on how to proceed.

"In the works of Alchemist Nicholas Famel, he spoke of a village in Wizarding Rome who had wronged a young man whose actions were quite similar to Miss Granger's. He too was trying to reinstate a balance between light and dark magic and the villagers tortured and murdered him. Lady Magic, within a year, wiped out all of the villagers who harmed the champion and those who would stand against reinstating the balance. He termed the occurrence as perfectum tempestas. The perfect storm," Lady Longbottom spoke to all present offering a sad smile to the Minister of Magic. "If Headmaster Snape is correct and I suspect he is, we are looking at our doom. We need to act quickly but first we need to speak with Miss Granger."

My dear readers, normally Rita would be the one who reported to you on this matter. She was one of the loudest voices against Miss Granger from the beginning. However, just last night while working on this article, Miss Skeeter collapsed and was rushed to St. Mungo's where healers stated that her magic was being drained from her.

So now here we are, my readers, in the middle of a perfect storm of our own creation. Sources in the Ministry have stated that Ministry officials have been to Hogwarts, School of Witchcraft and Wizardry to meet with Miss Granger but the initial meeting ended abruptly.

The questions remain though. What have we done? Who is next to fall to magic's wrath? Can we be saved this time around?


	2. Chapter 2

The Perfect Storm

Chapter Two

 

He apparated to the gates of Hogwarts with a thunderous crack, startling many creatures from the surroundings so severely that they scrambled for cover. The sentinel wards that protected the school's grounds and which had become so attuned to his magic since he succeeded Dumbledore as headmaster, slammed down with a reverberating clang. Acting quickly, he shot off a patronus to his Deputy Headmistress, Professor Minerva McGonagall, instructing her to ensure that the Floo Network that connected the school to the outside magical world, had been shut completely. If the Minister and her lackeys were on their way to see Hermione, they would have to beg for entry to the grounds like the pathetic bunch of maggots that they were.

 

His anger at the day's events was almost tangible. Tendrils of his magic seeped from him like a caustic sullage; ready to eviscerate anyone who dared to approach him.

 

For years, he had had his suspicions about Hermione Granger's incarceration but to have his worst fears confirmed, was crippling. The heavens alone know what that girl had endured since her introduction to the magical world.

 

She faced unspeakably dangers since the age of eleven. She battled through the times when she was ridiculed by her closest of friends because she saw possible danger when all they saw was a shiny new toy. She withstood being tortured by Bellatrix Lestrange, keeping everyone safe and ultimately, she helped the great Harry Potter to defeat the vilest wizard to walk the face of the earth. She did all of this, yet because of pride, stubbornness, arrogance and ignorance, all those that she gave so freely to, forgot her true worth and became the monsters in her nightmares.

 

He would never forget the pure panic in Minerva's face that winter's night when she burst into his office stating that Hagrid had found Hermione walking around the Black Lake in nothing but the jumper given to her to wear during her imprisonment in Azkaban and her wand.

 

Upon hearing that, he quickly ordered all students to immediately return to their common rooms and sent professors to ensure all students were accounted for before he sped down to the lake where Hagrid was waiting for him.

 

He remembered the grief that pierced him to his core when he first laid eyes on her. Her once bushy hair that reminded all of her lioness' heart, was a matted mess filled with the rotten filth that coated the floors of Azkaban. Gone was the rounded figure of a young woman entering the best years of her life. Instead, the emaciated form of a tortured soul stood in its place. She was only skin and bones. Her deathly pale skin was littered with bruises; no doubt the remainders of beatings she had received from guards and fellow inmates alike.

 

He approached her that night as one would approach a newly born foal. He truly did not wish to spook her. A part of himself was willing to admit that he was happy that she chose to return to Hogwarts. There were many on the staff who still cared deeply for the young woman.

 

He whispered a curse when a twig snapped under his feet. Her eyes locked on his form then and the lack of life he saw reflected there, stabbed at his heart. Her eyes that once radiated a depth of knowledge and thirst for life, were left sunken and haunted.

 

He had expected her to flee when she saw him but she, in turn, approached him.

 

"Professor Snape," she whispered. Her voice was course from either lack of use or tortured screams; which reason, he did not know.

 

"Miss Granger," he acknowledged but the way she flinched away from him caused him to pause.

 

A moment passed in a tense silence until she stepped towards him again. He did not move. He let her come to him.

 

It took some time on her part. She was weak and frail. She would stumble or veer off to the side. Sometimes, an animal would scurry by and she would watch it with hunger in her eyes and then there were moments when she would turn and look at the black lake with an unmistakable yearning.

 

Her behaviour troubled him. There was an eerie similarity between her behaviour and that of Bellatrix Lestrange and he began to pray that she was not so far gone that she was beyond the reach of their help.

 

"Professor," she whispered again as if spotting him for the first time and then proceed to launch herself at him.

 

He had initially thought that she was attacking him and was preparing to send forth a burst of his magic to push her off but he stopped cold him in tracks when he realized that she was sobbing hysterically in his arms.

 

As gently as he could, he lowered them both to the floor, before cradling her in his arms against his chest. The sight of her blue lips and the tremble of her body reminded him of how cold the winter had been and he hurried to cast a warming charm around them both.

 

Tiny fragments of his heart broke off with every painful sob that ripped from her. He tried desperately to calm her; rubbing soothing circles on her back but he was secretly relieved that she was showing emotion.

 

He had no recollection of how long he sat on that ground with her in his arms but he stayed. He listened to her ramblings, endured the fists she pounded weakly against his chest and listened to her shrieks of pain as she relived memories only she had. It was only when she wiggled to escape his grasp did he tightened his hold on her. He did not want her to run away from the only place she could be helped.

 

The minutes ticked by and hours passed until she looked up at him with sleepy eyes and for the first time since his arrival did he see clarity and sanity there.

 

"Professor," she whispered, grabbing his shirt in her tiny hands, "you'll keep me safe? You'll keep the darkness away?"

 

The soft innocence that permeated her words and the blind trust she had in him, transported him back to a time when there was a bushy haired, eleven year old child, who with her insatiable thirst for knowledge and insistent hand waving, had burrowed her way deeply into his heart. From his mouth came the same words he whispered to her the day he unpetrified her in her second year and on the day he treated the wounds she received from Dolohov at the Ministry of Magic in her fifth year, "As long as I am here, you are safe, my dear. Always."

 

"Severus," the always soothing honeyed voice of his wife called; pulled him out of his reminiscence, "you've been out here quite some time."

 

"I'm sorry, my love," he said, turning to face her while bringing his magic back under his control.

 

"How did it go at the Ministry?" she asked as she tucked her petite frame snuggly into his embrace.

 

"Just as Albus and I expected. I am sure the Minister will attempt to see her soon," he sighed heavily, before placing a gentle kiss on her forehead. "Is she still asleep?"

 

"Yes. Leo and Crux were also suddenly ill and have chosen to join her in her bed. Though I think their illness has more to do with their early morning trip to the greenhouses," she giggled as she looked up at him; her blue eyes dancing with mischief. He had no doubt in his mind that his beloved was the reason why their sons had such a mischievous streak.

 

"Would I need to intervene?" he questioned, smiling back at her.

 

"They'll be fine. They took enough of the ageratum nectar to get an upset tummy." Andromeda shrugged; the universal gesture of a mother would had experienced just about everything child rearing had to offer.

 

"Who would have thought that we would be parents to two young boys?" Severus smiled softly. "And that they would both look like me; both of them stuck with the same needle straight black hair, pale skin, gangly limbs. Thank the heavens that they have got your eyes and nose."

 

" Love, you know that is how they choose to look. Having a metamorphmagus in a family is supposed to be rare. Who would have thought that I would give birth to three? Certainly not me. I thought my child bearing days were over but thanks to a marriage law and your potent sperms, we have two little devil who intend to see me gray before I am sixty," Andromeda huffed.

 

"You certainly did not complain when we made them, love. In fact, I remember you demanding more of me," Severus responded with a salacious grin on his face.

 

"Well you do know just what I like, husband," Andromeda flirted before remembering why she had sought her husband out initially, "Tell me. What do I need to be prepared for? Minerva already accepted an owl on your behalf from Amelia. She is asking for the wards to be undone from the Floo Network to allow her and several ministry officials entry so that they may speak to Hermione," his wife explained as she tucked a loose strand of hair behind his ears.

 

"Did she send back the reply?" he asked, kissing the palm of her hand.

 

"Yes. The Ministry has been informed, that acting on the advice of Headmaster Snape, Miss Granger has obtained legal council and all request to speak to Miss Granger has to be sent to Madam Andromeda Snape," his wife smirked; looking very much like the Slytherin that she was.

 

"Andromeda, are you sure that you are willing to do this, my love?" he asked as he cupped her cheek gently.

 

"As sure as the day I married you," she smiled before standing on her tiptoes to place a gentle kiss on his lips.

 

"Might I remind you, Madam Snape, we wed because of a law," he said smugly.

 

"True but I fell in love with you because of your heart, your compassion and your kindness. I love you regardless of stupid decisions made in moments of weakness. I admire your strength and your ability to be a rock in a storm. I love you truly, Severus," Andromeda whispered.

 

"And I love you, you utterly perfect, angelic creature. How lucky I was to find you and love you," Severus whispered back before pressing his lips against his wife's in a searing kiss. A surprised gasp from his wife was the opening he needed to caress his tongue against hers. The heavens above only knew how deeply he loved his wife. What he had felt for Lily Potter paled in comparison to the surge of adoration and reverence he had for Andromeda. He swallowed a pleasured whimper from her lips before pulling away to place open-mouthed kisses along her slender neck.

 

"Sev, if you continue doing that, I will drag you into the Forbidden Forest to have an afternoon delight," Andromeda purred, wrapping her fingers into her husband's hair as his arms tighten around her waist.

 

"Unfortunately, that won't be possible," the prim voice of Minerva McGonagall cut through their rising passion as if she had dashed a bucket of icy cold water upon them.

 

"What is it, Minerva?" Severus growled; his eyes igniting in fury at the disturbance.

 

"A letter for Andromeda has just arrived bearing the Minister's seal," the deputy headmistress stated, holding out a letter to the woman in question who was untangling herself from her husband's embrace, much to his displeasure.

 

Quickly, she broke the seal and read the letter.

 

"Dear Madam Andromeda Snape, after reviewing the memories from Miss Hermione Granger that were provided to us by Headmaster Severus Snape and due to the testimony from Mrs. Molly Weasley gathered during this investigation into the accusations brought against Miss Hermione Granger by members of the Weasley Family, it has has been discovered that Miss Granger was, without her knowledge and consent, being fed abortion potions.

 

As such, please accept my deepest and sincerest apologies for a true failure on the part of the Auror Department. Please note that an investigation into this matter has been launched.

 

We ask that we be provided with bank statements showing Miss Granger's earnings before her arrest and subsequent imprisonment so that she may be reimbursed for her lost wages. We also ask for her to be informed that her job as Junior Assistant to the Head of Magical Law Enforcement is available and when she is ready, she may resume her duties.

 

Additionally, we are working to retrieve any properties and possessions that were seized, so that they may be returned to your client.

 

Pertaining to the dissolution of her marriage from Ronald Wesley, it has been found to have been granted under false pretenses and as such the parameters of the divorce agreement must be amended. According to the laws of our land, your client is entitled to half of the wealth, properties and assets she shared with her husband. You will need to contact the Department of Families to sort through this matter. The head of this department, Mr. Dean Thomas is waiting to hear from you so that this matter may be handled quickly," Andromeda read quickly to the others present.

 

"They're moving quickly for a change," Minerva noted.

 

"They are moving quickly out of necessity," Andromeda rebutted. "They are going to want to set things to right quickly. They are hoping that by fixing and returning things that were lost or taken from Hermione that they would be able to postpone perfectum tempestas. They also know that if Hermione is to sue, and by Lady Magic, I hope she does, she can bring the Ministry to its knees financially. She could also call for resignations as part of the settlement. Potter's would be the first for failing to conduct a proper investigation. Amelia could be forced to resign too for the same reason. Gringotts would be called to account as well. They were eager to seize and sell Hermione's property left to her after her parents death. They did not see to it that proper procedures were done. Never in the thousands of years of their operations did they seize and sell someone's property. Take for example, Sirius and the Black fortune. Gringotts never touched it and he was sentenced to life in prison for the murder of twelve muggles and while he was a fugitive, he still had access to his accounts."

 

"That sounds like a clusterfuck," Severus spat.

 

"It is. They are trying to do three things. One: admit they were wrong and hope that Hermione is still the sweet and forgiving girl that she was, have her say let bygones be bygones and be willing help them through this perfectum tempestas, two: if she isn't the sweet girl they knew, they were going to sweeten the deal so that she would still help them in a, ‘you wash my back, I wash yours,' scenario or three: overwhelm both her and her council so that things slip past everyone's notice." Andromeda explained.

 

"Those shites!" Minerva exclaimed in outrage.

 

"That is politics," Andromeda sighed, turning her attention back to the parchment in her hand. "There is more to this letter though and neither of you are going to like it."

 

"What is it?" Severus enquired.

 

"At the conclusion of his questioning of Mrs. Molly Weasley, Headmaster Snape suggested that we are on the verge of perfectum tempestas which resulted from our deplorable and wholly unjustifiable persecution and prosecution of Miss Granger. Headmaster Snape reminded us that Miss Granger was a true champion for magic since her introduction to our world and due to our ignorance and arrogance, we treated her in a horrendous manner," Andromeda read. "We, at the Ministry, are very intent to prevent this perfectum tempestas from going further and to undo the damage already done to the beloved Arthur Weasley. As such, we ask that Miss Hermione Granger submit herself to a medical visit by Ministry appointed Healers so that a cum sequelis ad fetum amissa would be conducted to ascertain if she miscarried at any time due to the actions of Mrs. Weasley."

 

"Fuck!" Severus swore as his magic ripped out of him and fell an oak sapling mere feet from the trio.

 

"We always suspected that they would request this in an attempt to right the wrongs of the past," Andromeda said softly, kissing her husband on his cheek in an attempt to calm him.

 

"The wound that ritual would cause could shatter her," Severus murmured.

 

"Do we have a choice? We don't know how far reaching this perfectum tempestas would be. Remember what Nicholas said. Even children were killed last time because they had parroted back the hate-filled rhetoric they were taught by their parents." Minerva reasoned.

 

"No, we don't but we can control this," Andromeda suggested as she quickly thought through a suitable plan. "We can tell the Minister that the spell will be done by Miss Granger's healer, Healer Padma Patil, who has also been approved by the Ministry, and that it would be conducted on Hogwarts' grounds. Only Miss Patil and one other ministry official will be allowed onto the compound at tomorrow at four in the afternoon. We will also tell her that a team of lawyers is being gathered to deal with the numerous matters she has raised; indirectly letting her know that nothing will be slipping past anyone and that regardless of what she tries, someone is going to block her."

 

"There is one more matter we need to brace ourselves for and that is our relationship to Hermione," Andromeda continued. "Amelia wanted someone truly objective to conduct this investigation and we are far from objective. This investigation will be questioned .when the our relationship with Hermione is revealed."

 

"Amelia has bigger things to worry about. The evidence collected, is not biased and try as she might, nothing can change what has been proven today," Severus shrugged.

 

Before anyone else could take the conversation further, eleven year old Crux Albus Snape ran into the clear where the three adults were gathered.

 

"Papa!" the raven haired boy shouted as he crashed into his father's legs. "It's Mi. Someone sent her a letter, Pa and she's freaking out. Her magic is everywhere."

 

Wide eyed and full of fear, Severus gathered his wife and son in his arms and apparated them to their rooms in the headmaster's wing of the castle, leaving Minerva to follow on foot.

 

"Hermione!" Andromeda screamed upon seeing the utter destruction of their rooms. Nowhere had been spared. Books lay torn and scattered on the floor. Furniture had been broken and mangled. Picture frames and trinkets exploded, sending shards of glass and ceramic flying through the sky.

 

"Leo and Crux, say with your mother," Severus instructed as he scooped up Leo, his younger son by ten minutes, from where he sought refugee behind a chair. "And Andromeda, cast a shield over all of you."

 

All she could do was nod and follow her husband's orders as tears streamed down her face. Kneeling down, she clutched her sons close to her; all the while, hoping that her husband was able to calm Hermione down.

 

It had been months since Hermione had experienced a magical outburst like this. Since she had been found wandering the grounds of Hogwarts, everyone on the staff had taken a vested interest in bringing her back to life; none more so than Severus himself.

 

He devoted every free moment he had to her recovery. Soft, reassuring touches whenever she had been startled. Eating every meal with her even though sometimes all she wanted was chocolate cake. He worked with her for months to combat her nightmares though it required him to read to her until she fell asleep.

 

He took pride in her small accomplishments and indulged her every whim. Hours were spent reading books, having lively discussions with Albus of all people (or portrait). She put on a healthy weight. She began to seek knowledge again so much so that she had been able to to gain her Masteries in Charms and Arithmancy.

 

When she expressed her desire to rejoin the workforce again, Severus was overjoyed to offer her a position as librarian's assistant. Andromeda was the only one who knew that Severus created the position to keep Hermione safe within his reach.

 

For Hermione to have such a severe set back, something truly terrifying had to have happened.

 

"Hermione!" Severus called as he approached the young woman who was curled onto the floor.

 

"Papa?" she responded through her heart wrenching sobs.

 

"Yes, my dove. Papa is here," Severus responded. "You need to calm down, dove."

 

"I'm trying," she hiccuped through her sobs.

 

Kneeling next to her, Severus scooped her into his arms and under his own shield. As soon she was in his arms, her magic calmed but she continued to sob.

 

"Hush, my sweet girl," Severus murmured softly, tucking her head under his chin and gesturing for his wife and sons to join them.

 

With a quick flick of her wand, Andromeda both lowered the shield around her and sons and repair all the damage caused by Hermione's accidental burst of magic.

 

"Mi! Are you okay?" Leo asked as he wiggled his way into his father's arms.

 

"I'm fine," Hermione answered with a watery smile. "I'm sorry if I scared you."

 

"Silly girl," Andromeda scolded with the gentleness only a mother could have. "We were only ever scared for you. We will never be scared of you, lovely. How about we have a cup of tea and you'll tell us what happened?"

 

"It's not that big of a deal. I shouldn't have reacted that way," Hermione shrugged; pulling herself away from Severus so that she could stand.

 

With a grunt, Severus stood with Leo still in his arms and quickly pulled Hermione back into his arms as well,"Not so fast, dove. We're going to sit and have a cup of tea as a family and you are going to tell your mama and I what caused this."

 

"May we have hot chocolate instead of tea?" Crux asked with a smile from his mother's arms.

 

"I think that can be arranged," Severus chuckled as he shot off a patronus to the kitchens with the family's drink request.

 

With gentle hands, Andromeda and Severus worked as a team; ushering all of the children into their bedroom and had everyone cuddled under covers by the time their drinks arrived. 

 

" So dove, tell us what happened," Andromeda coaxed, stroking Hermione's hair gently as Severus distributed the hot chocolate to everyone.

 

"An owl came with a letter. I thought it was for you, Papa, so I accepted the letter. Only, it wasn't for you. It was addressed to me," Hermione explained, pausing to take a sip from her cup. "It was from Ronald. Just seeing his handwriting on the envelope.I did not even have time to open it before everything just came flooding back. Every words. Every time he belittled me; humiliated me."

 

"That Ronald sounds like a bully," Crux said sagely; looking up at his sister with wide brown eyes and a chocolate mustache.

 

"He was," Hermione answered; stifling a laugh when her papa reached around from behind Crux to wipe away his chocolate mustache.

 

"Would you like to read the letter?" Severus asked gently.

 

"No but at the same time a small part of me wants to know what he has to say," Hermione admitted.

 

"I'll go get it!" Leo shouted, hastily shoving his empty teacup at his mother before bolting from the room only to be followed seconds later by his brother.

 

The three adults on the bed chuckled indulgently at their antics.

 

Within a flash, the boys were back and handed the letter to their sister.

 

"Want us to read it for you?" Crux asked, cuddling back into Severus who in turn dropped a soft kiss on his son's head.

 

"No. I'll read it," Hermione responded and quickly ripped open the envelope.

 

Above her head, Andromeda and Severus shared a look of concern before once again turning their attention back to Hermione.

 

"Five words," Hermione whispered, her gaze still locked on the parchment in her hand. "All he says is he's sorry and to save his father. Why does he think he has the right to ask for anything?"

 

"He doesn't, dove," Andromeda answered as she plucked the letter from Hermione's hand and passed it to her husband. "Let your papa handle this and you, your brothers and I are going to pay a visit to Hagrid who has informed me that we have some strawberries to pick."

 

Cheers erupted from the two young boys who knew that fresh strawberries meant that strawberry tarts where going to be made. Quickly, they hurried their mother and sister out the door, leaving Severus to address the letter from Ronald Weasley; a letter that had long been turned to ash in his fist.

 

Walking into his office, Severus debated on what would be the best way to send a message to the accursed Weasley.

 

"You know, Severus," the portrait of Albus Dumbledore chimed in from his spot on the walls of Headmaster's office, "in all my years of being headmaster, no one instilled more fear in me than an enraged father."

 

Shoot a dark smirk at his predecessor, Severus called upon his magic and sent forth a messenger of his creation.

 

Miles away, in a small room at St. Mungo's, Arthur Weasley, his children and their spouses gathered to discuss what was discovered by the investigation conducted by the Ministry of Magic when a ghost-like copy of Severus Snape exploded into the room, blasting everyone backwards and off their feet.

 

"Good evening, Weasley family," the apparition spoke in the same chilling and deadly tone as it's creator, "I come bearing a message for all of you. You are, in no way, to contact Miss Hermione Granger. If you try to circumvent what I have just said, I can and shall destroy you. I make this promise to you, neither as the Headmaster of Hogwarts nor as the investigator that was brought in by the Ministry of Magic. I make this promise to you as a father."

 

As the apparition disappeared, another wave of magic lashed out sending everyone slamming back into the floors.

 

The warning had been sent. The promise had been made and minutes later, the portrait of Albus Dumbledore was ecstatic to report to the papa of Hermione Granger that his message had been received.


	3. Chapter 3

The Perfect Storm

Chapter Three

 

_ The bitterly cold winds surrounding Azkaban roared their way into her cell from the tiny hole in the wall that she surmised was intended to be a window, forcing her to crouch down and seek refugee in a corner with only a tattered  _ _ sheet to shield her starved body from the unforgiving elements of the Northern Sea.  _

 

_ All around her, the pained cries of her fellow inmates pierced through the eerie heaviness that blanketed the prison. Many pleaded for mercy as the reinstated dementors ripped every last bit of hope and sanity from those locked within the walls of the prison. There were some, though, who could no longer cope with the neverending torment that existed within the walls. Those few souls called upon an innate strength and put an end to their own suffering. Some had chosen to starve themselves to death though she highly doubted what they were served as meals was anything more than a watery mess of rotted food. Others had become inventors in their finally moments and had developed many methods to achieve their goals; from nooses made of tattered bedding to slitting their own throats with a sharpened stone. Causes of death in Azkaban were varied but death was the only assured relief from the cycle of torture. _

 

_ She envied all those who chose death. Before she even stepped into Azkaban, she had lost the courage to live and now, she did not even have the courage to die. _

 

_ She had already lost her sense of time. The perpetual blackness that encased the prison like a merciless black hole caused her nights and days to bleed into a never ending time loop that was sure to drive her to insanity.  _

 

_ She held firmly to her education, though. It was the one thing that could not be ripped from her. She would spend her days reciting potion recipes and spells. She would recall dates and events that she learnt in her History of Magic class. She did whatever she could to protect her mind at least for now. _

 

_ She had just begun to recite the core principles of Transfiguration when the heavy gates of her cell were thrown open with a resounding thud and two guards barreled their way in. _

 

_ Hermione was familiar with these two men.They were both colleagues of Ronald’s and had taken it upon themselves to seek justice on behalf of their friend.  _

 

_ Unceremoniously, Guard Bennit who was the taller of the two, yanked her to her feet and slammed her into the wall before she was magically chained to it.  _

 

_ She could not contain the cry of pain that escaped her chapped lips as her already abused back collided painfully with the rough surface of the wall. Dazed and winded, Hermione’s physical strength failed her and she slumped down; only to be held up by the chains cutting into her skin.  _

 

_ A blast of icy water to her face, startled her so much so that she banged her head on the wall.  _

 

_ “Wake up, baby killer!” Guard Taylor, the more muscular to the two, bellowed directly into Hermione’s ear causing her to wince. “You have a guest!” _

 

_ Truly she did not care for whoever was there. As far as she was concerned,  all of the court cases and divorce proceedings were done. _

 

_ Ronald had been given everything; even things he was not entitled to like her childhood home and a trust that her grandparents had left her but she had expected that outcome. On one hand, she could count the people who believed she was innocent. Her husband, the man who stood in front of their closest friends and family and vowed to stand by her side through it all, was not one of them. Nor was the man on whose side she stood through every battle from the time she stepped into Wizarding London.  _

 

_ Ronald Wealsey and Harry Potter, instead of being her protectors in this battle, were the ones who led the proverbial lynching mobs and were the loudest voices who called for her blood. _

 

_ She choked on her own breath when she saw who walked in with a visitors badge gleaming from his shoulder. _

 

_ Hermione simply stared at the red haired man that walked into her cell. There was a part of her that truly believed that the guards were using a new form torture on her. It was only when the two guards left, sealing the cell behind them that she even allowed herself to hope that what she was seeing was not a mirage. _

 

_ “Oh my sweet girl!” Arthur whispered somberly as he stepped towards her. “What have they done to you?”  _

 

_ “Mr. Weasley?” Hermione stuttered in disbelief.  _

 

_ “Hello, sweetheart. Let's get you out of those chains,” Arthur said gently.  _

 

_ Slowly, Arthur reached over to hold onto Hermione’s waist before using non-verbal magic to remove the chains holding her up. Cautiously, Arthur lowered her to the floor before taking a step back. _

 

_ “What are you doing here?” she croaked as she curled herself into a protective ball. _

 

_ “I came to check in with you. See how you were doing,” the Weasley patriarch responded with sad eyes. _

 

_ A few tense seconds passed with the two individuals looked at each other. Hermione’s gaze was one of wariness and suspicion. Arthur’s gaze was one of sadness and compassion.  _

 

_ Hermione began to figet under his unwavering stare. Self-consciously, Hermione reached up to tame her now matted hair and passed a shaky hand over her cracked lips. She knew she looked frightful. She was starved, filthy and bruised.  _

 

_ She jumped slightly when Arthur bent to pick up a rock from the floor. She was mesmerized as she watched him transform the rock into a goblet and fill it with water. _

 

_ “Here. Have a drink,” he whispered kindly as he offered the goblet to her. _

 

_ She was skeptical but the salt that lingered in the air from the surrounding ocean had left her thirsty and getting clean water to drink was a rarity. _

 

_ “It is safe,” Arthur said gently as he held out the goblet to her. _

 

_ With shaky hands, she took the offered goblet and lifted it to her lips. Still keeping a wary eye on the man, Hermione took a sip of the water. As soon as the cool, clean water touched her parched throat, Hermione’s restraint snapped and she quickly gobbled down the water, completely untroubled by the water that spilled down the sides and onto her chin.  _

 

_ “Easy,” Arthur cautioned tenderly.  _

 

_ “I’m sorry,” Hermione muttered after she had emptied the goblet and hastily wiped her chin with her palm. _

 

_ “You have nothing to be sorry for,” Arthur objected as he crouched down in front of her. “If anything, I should be the one apologizing to you.” _

 

_ “Why?” Hermione asked, hunching down as a particularly icy blast of air shot through her cell. _

 

_ “I could not stop this madness. I watched you grow up. I saw you save Harry and Ron countless times. I saw you being loyal to my family even when we turned our backs on you,” Arthur spat; the anger he felt at himself and his family colourings his words. _

 

_ “I don't need your pity,” Hermione said softly as she lowered her eyes in embarrassment.  _

 

_ “It’s not pity, dear. It’s anger. I'm angry at everyone for getting things so mixed up. I saw how you looked at the kids with longing. I saw how you tried to hide your tears whenever one of the others announced a pregnancy. You could never have done what you were thrown in here for,” Arthur said gently; reaching over to wipe away the tears that had slipped from her eyes. _

 

_ “I didn't do it,” Hermione murmured. “I couldn't do something so horrible.” _

 

_ “I know, sweet girl,”Arthur whispered as he pulled her into his chest regardless of her filthy state. “ I tried to talk to Kingsley and Amelia to at least get you a trial but no one wants to hear it. They are angry because you were opposing the law and trying to get it pulled. They think you took the potion as an act of rebellion.” _

 

_ “So they just want me out of the picture,” Hermione nodded. _

 

_ “I'm so sorry,” Arthur comforted. “ I’ll keep trying.” _

 

_ The pair sat on the cold floor in a parental embrace until the rumble of Hermione’s empty stomach forced them apart. _

 

_ “Are you hungry? When was the last time you ate?” Arthur asked; holding the young woman at arms length. _

 

_ “I don't know. Food is a rarity,” Hermione muttered shamefully.  _

 

_ Sighing, Arthur bent down and tapped on a block on the wall. Instantly, the block hallowed out. From his robes, Arthur pulled out a small plate of food which he enlarged with a snap of his fingers. He also picked up the goblet and placed it next to the plate. _

 

_ “The plate is linked with one I have at home. I’ll keep it full for you. Eat whatever you want as much as you want. The goblet will automatically refill. Just when you are done, touch the top part of the brick and a glamor will hide it from the guards,” Arthur instructed. _

 

_ “The guard will pick up on the magic,” Hermione pointed out. _

 

_ “No, they won't,” Arthur objected before letting the glamor fall and not a moment too soon because at that exact moment a guard barged in to announce that Arthur’s time was up. _

 

_ “I’ll come back to see you,” Arthur whispered before placing a soft kiss on her forehead. “Stay strong. Don't give up because I won't be giving up either.” _

 

_ What Hermione did not know was that the guards did pick up on the magic done by Mr. Arthur Weasley but were played ten galleons a month by said man to turn a blind eye to it. _

 

“They're here, my dove. We'll be there shortly,” her adoptive mother's  signature elephant patronus whispered delicately to Hermione which pulled the already panicking young woman from her memories.

 

“Heavens give me strength,” Hermione whispered as she glanced around the Hospital Wing as if expecting to see the Ministry’s representatives already there.

 

“Keep calm, my dearest girl, all shall be well,” Albus murmured from where he took up residence in a portrait of farm animals. “We are all here for you.”

 

“I do not know if I want to know this. I do not know if I can handle this truth.” Hermione confessed as she looked up at the man with twinkling blue eyes that were always filled witb mischief and the knee-length beard that was being chewed on by an enthusiastic goat. “I lived through a war and Azkaban. I lived my nightmares every night for so many years. I was starved, beaten, stripped naked, humiliated and branded like cattle and none of it could compare to the crippling fear that is filling me now.”

 

“The fear of facing your fears is harder to overcome than the fear itself,” Albus said sagely as he reached out his hand as if to touch her.

 

“It’s not just that,” Hermione objected softly as she walked over to one of the windows in the room to look out at the grounds of Hogwarts where many children were enjoying the beautiful spring day. In the distance, Hermione spotted a group of red haired children and an unmistakable pang of longing filled her heart.

 

“What is it then, my dear?” Albus prompted.

 

“Do you remember that night when I came to you and asked if I should hide my parents during the war and you told me to trust my gut?” Hermione waited until Albus nodded before continuing. “Well, I did trust my gut and I was right. Even Papa confirmed that Voldermort wanted my parents dead. During my marriage to Ronald though,  I was so busy trying to fix things; to get things back in balance that I didn't have time to listen to my gut. During my trial and incarceration, though,  I had a lot of time to think and listen to myself and my gut told me that I was pregnant several times over.  I don't know what I would do if the number of pregnancy I actually had is anywhere near to the amount of times that I suspect I was pregnant.”

 

Before they could continue their conversation, the doors to the Hospital Wing opened and in walked her adoptive parents, Healer Padma Patil and Undersecretary to the Minister of Magic, Percival Weasley. Madam Pomfrey, who was in her office, also joined the grouped as they entered.

 

Seeing Hermione’s panicked filled eyes and tense posture, Andromeda broke away from the group and quickly made her way to Hermione’s side.

 

“You alright, dove?” Andromeda asked as she pulled Hermione into a hug.

 

“I’m terrified,” Hermione confessed as a few stray tears fell from her eyes.

 

“You aren't alone.  We're here. Lean on your papa and me,” Andromeda fiercely whispered; hugging the younger woman a little bit tighter.

 

“Thank you,” Hermione muttered back as she shut her eyes in an attempt to stop her tears from falling.

 

Severus’ heart warmed at the sight before him. To see the two women who had wormed their way into his heart and who had succeeding in erasing all of the darkness that had plagued him for most of his life, engaged in such a mother-daughter act, was a balm to his already fried nerves.

 

After granting Andromeda several long minutes to comfort Hermione, Severus finally stepped forward and called to them. “Shall we proceed, my dears?”

 

“Yes,” Hermione answered shakily though she still clung to Andromeda.

 

Taking that as the clearance to start, Healer Padma Patil walked over to the embracing pair.

 

“How are you doing, Hermione?” Padma asked kindly.

 

“I’ve been better,” Hermione sniffled as she finally pulled away from Andromeda.

 

“It would be best if you lie on the bed, Hermione,” Padma said with a sad smile. 

 

Nodding and in an almost robotic fashion, Hermione walked over and placed herself onto the nearest bed..

 

“For official purposes,  I have to say the following,” Percy said as he stepped forward. “I, Percival Weasley, am here in the capacity as Undersecretary to the Minister of Magic. I have come to witness Healer Padma Patil perform a cum sequelis ad fetum amissa to determine if Miss Hermione Granger was pregnant and if she was, we will need to determine how many times she was pregnant.  For this ritual, we will be searching for the magical signatures that are different from Miss Granger’s in her magical core. Magical research has proven that a child's magical signatures bleeds into their mother's magical core during the gestational period. It is on this principle that we would determine if Miss Granger was pregnant.” As Percy spoke, a quill on his right side rapidly wrote down each word onto a sheet of parchment. 

 

“Thank you for the unnecessary lecture, Mr. Weasley,” Severus drawled. “But we would like to get this over with. Miss Patil, would you please begin?”

 

“Of course,” Padma said softly before turning to Hermione. “I just need you to relax.  You will feel a bit uncomfortable but it would be over quickly.”

 

“ Would it be okay if I held Andromeda’s hand?” Hermione asked as her palms began to sweat.

 

“Not yet. The spell may pick up her signature as well. I’m sorry,” Padma said gently. “ I also need to place a few drops of Ronald’s blood over your womb to confirm the paternity of any children.”

 

“Just do it quickly,” Hermione said in a soft, resigned voice as she lifted up her shirt to expose her stomach.

 

“Alright. I'm going to start now,” Padma whispered as she motioned for Percy to stand on her left so that he would be able to witness the procedure. 

 

Andromeda and Severus walked over to Hermione’s side and stood in her line of sight. 

 

Hermione simply could not watch what Padma was doing. She could feel her heart beginning to race. Fighting the urge to reach out to Andromeda, Hermione dug her fingers painfully into the mattress below her. 

 

Long gone was her Gryffindor courage. Azkaban had slaughtered that part of her. She just wanted to jump up from the bed she was on and run away from everything and everyone. She wanted to carry on like nothing had ever happened but there was a part of her that needed to know if her gut was right.

 

If the truth helped her heal or shattered her completely, she did not know yet.

 

She knew the mechanics of ritual. She knew what each prod, poke, whirl and twirl of Padma’s wand meant. She felt when Padma placed droplets of Ronald’s blood onto the skin above her womb and she could not stop from shivering in revulsion. 

 

She kept her eyes locked on her adoptive parents, drawing comfort from their silent strength.

 

A gasp from Padma and whispered curse from Percy told Hermione that ritual was completed.

 

“How many?” Hermione asked, her voice cracking; her eyes still locked on Andromeda and Severus

 

“I’m so sorry, Hermione,” Padma whispered in a choked voice as the healer quickly cleaning away any reminients that remained from the ritual.

 

“Just tell me how many?” Hermione pleaded as she forced her body upwards as she simultaneously reached out for Severus. 

 

“Miss Granger,” Percy began only to be stopped as a burst of magic rippled from Hermione causing several windows to shatter.

 

“Heaven help me, Percy! How many of my children did your mother kill from my womb?” Hermione roared as her eyes became liquid fire.

 

Seeing that Hermione’s magical control was slipping, Severus intervened and pulled her tightly to his chest before answering. “You lost seven babies, dove.”

 

“Seven?” Hermione parroted back in a trembling voice. “Seven?”

 

“Yes, dove,” Andromeda said gently, reaching over to gently caress Hermione’s cheek.

 

“No,” Hermione muttered in disbelief;  her eyes shooting wildly around the room. 

 

Vaguely, she registered the tears streaming down Padma’s face and the endless apologies that fell from the young healer’s lips. Her former brother-in-law simply looked broken; the charmed quill and parchment laying uselessly on the floor. Madam Pomfrey, with her own tears falling, walked towards the tiny family with a Calming Draught clenched in her fist.

 

“Seven?” Hermione kept chanting. “I was pregnant seven times?

 

“Oh dove,”Andromeda sobbed holding onto Hermione tightly while Severus shifted so he could wrap his arms around them both.

 

With her adoptive parents’ arms around her,  Hermione seemed to finally understand what was being said to her.

 

“My babies,” Hermione gasped as heart wrenching sobs ripped forth from her lips. “My babies! My babies!”

 

The chasm that ripped open in her heart crippled her. Gasping, she clung to Andromeda. She could feel her chest tightening. This pain was worst that anything she had endured. Not even the dementors had caused her such turmoil. 

 

Her tears flowed unhindered. There was no stopping them now. 

 

“Breathe, dove,” Andromeda coaxed, her own tears spilling down just as Severus accepted the Calming Draught from Madam Pomfrey. 

 

“Seven. Seven. Seven,” Hermione chanted back, her grief taking hold of her and she simply crumpled to the floor, taking Andromeda with her.

 

“Heavens!” Madam Pomfrey cried, rushing forward to help Severus pick the women. 

 

Delicately, as one would with a small child, Severus placed Hermione back onto the bed. “Drink the potion, dove,” he choked out.

 

“Papa,” Hermione cried as she forcefully pushed his hand away; sending the vial careening to the floor. “She killed my seven babies.”

 

“I know, my dove. I know but you have to take the potion now,” Severus said softly, desperately trying to keep his own tears at bay as Madam Pomfrey summoned another vial of the Draught. 

 

After much struggle and seeing that Hermione was too far gone in her grief, Severus spelled the potion directly into Hermione’s stomach. It only took a few seconds before her crying turned to whimpers and her eyelids began to fight against sleep.

 

“Papa, let me go be with my babies.” Her last words before she finally sank into a peaceful oblivion sent all those present crashing into their own pits of grief.

 

As quickly as she could, Healer Padma Patil quickly completed all the necessary paperwork for the Ministry of Magic. Without another word, she all but threw the documents at Percy before bolting out of the Wing.

 

Without breaking her hurried stride, she conjured her Patronus and sent it on it’s way. 

 

Miles away, Draco Lucius Malfoy, was sprawled out on a leather chair in his office. He had long ago given up on trying to do anything resembling work and had instead chosen to nurse a tumbler of Firewhiskey. Try as he might, he could not bring himself to concentrate on anything and there were several business matters that required his immediate attention. 

 

Swearing, he sat up and all but ripped the tailor suit of his shoulders before rolling up his sleeves and retaking his sprawled posture.

 

Just as he was filling his glass for the fourth time that hour, a peacock patronus took form in the room. Eyes glued on the creation, Draco slowed lowered both bottle and tumbler to the table and waited with bated breath to hear its message. 

 

Only one word was spoken; a number to be precise. 

 

“Seven,” was all the majestic creation whispered before disappearing but that one words caused Draco Lucius Malfoy to give off such a wave of uncontrolled that both bottle and tumbler were shattered beyond repair. 

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	4. Chapter Four

Britain’s Minister of Magic, Madam Amelia Bones, and the Head of the Department for Magical Law Enforcement, Kingsley Shacklebolt, with the help of their assigned guards, battled their way through the rabid dogs they called the magical press as they tried to make their way to room fifty- one on the third floor of St. Mungo’s Hospital.

For the past two days, since the conclusion of the investigation that was conducted by Headmaster Severus Snape, neither of the pair had one moment to rest; a point several journalists noted as they took in the haggard appearance of the two. 

They had both been swamped by an endless stream of meetings with healers, magical scholars, portraits and various members from the Department of Mysteries. The patriarchs of the families that formed the Sacred Twenty - Eight were asked to share any information they had on any previous occurrence of a perfectum tempestas from their family’s archives. Those families however, were truly uncooperative. Most of them had written back and said that they had already gifted those documents to Headmaster Snape and none were willing to ask him to return the materials to their possession since it was improper to ask for the return of a gift.

Contacting Snape had been a completely futile endeavor. The man had simply written back to them and informed the pair that the investigation was completed on his part and whatever documents and testimony he had collected on the matter had already been handed over to the Minister upon the completion of the investigation. He had also added that he was not required to share anything further with them as the books and information he had collected from the families of the Sacred Twenty -Eight also held information that he required in his capacity as Headmaster of Hogwarts, to revamp the History of Magic Curriculum. After all, what better place to get such information than the archives of the most ancient of magical families.

When they threatened to bring charges against him from failing to disclose the relationship he shared with Miss Hermione Granger before he accepted the role of investigator, a lengthy and very detailed letter from Solicitor Andromeda Snape arrived, clearly outlining each and every one of the charges she intended to file against the Ministry. The missive sent both Amelia and Kingsley scampering to find anyone who could deal with what Andromeda had sent. The unwritten message was also received: if the Ministry intended to fight with fire, the Snape Family was going to be a raging tsunami that would drown them all before anyone had time could react.

From the very little information they had gathered, though, neither of the two could deny that the only way out of the mess they had found themselves in, was to undo whatever crimes they had committed against Miss Granger.

“Did you hear back from Joseph?” Kingsley asked just as they stepped into the elevator while he simultaneously strengthening the privacy charm that surrounded the pair.

“Yes and he is unwavering in his stance. He is insisting that a monetary settlement will have to be paid for actions of Gringotts. All of Miss Granger’s vaults and assets were seized. The properties were sold. Her childhood home was destroyed to make way for an apartment building so there is no way we could reclaim that. The monies from her parents’ life insurance policies, her inheritance from them and her grandparents and the money from the sale of the home went towards repairing and updating Gringotts and whatever monies she made during from her time as an employee of the Ministry and during her marriage as well as all marital assets went to Ronald Weasley but still there is no guarantee that any of this would stop the perfectum tempestas,” Amelia rattled out. “All of which Andromeda stated in her first letter. The payout may be in the hundreds of thousands of galleons and that is without interest.”

“Fuck! The goblins are not going to like that one bit,” Kingsley sighed as he rubbed his tired eyes, “That would be another issue that we would have to quell because Bill Weasley is saying that there are talks of the goblins not wanting to pay a dime because they believe that they won't be affected by the perfectum tempestas.”

“I’ll have to put someone on that. We need them to pay up,” Amelia huffed as she rolled her shoulders in an attempt to release some of the tension that was building there. “I may also have to look at some sort of budget cut because Hermione’s salaries over the past ten years added up to one hundred and seventy-six thousand, four hundred and twelve galleons and ninety-six sickles.”

“Dear lord! That is more money than what was allocated to my department for this year!” Kingsley exclaimed before leaning heavily on the side of the elevator. “How did we get things so wrong?” 

“Honestly, Severus was right. We didn't want to admit that there was a problem,” Amelia responded as she placed her ear directly over Kingsley’s heart. “We were hindering the balance of magic because we thought that if we allowed the practicing of ‘dark magic’ we would have been opening the door to the creation of another dark lord.”

Automatically, Kingsley’s arms wrapped around his wife's curvaceous frame. “We'll get through this. One step at a time.”

Just then the doors of the elevator opened and Kingsley and Amelia separated after they shared a gentle kiss and headed down the corridor towards Arthur Weasley’s room.

They had not taken more than ten steps before a red-eyed Percy Weasley called out to the pair. “Minister Bones! Auror Shacklebolt!”

“Percy,” Amelia acknowledged as the pair slowed their steps so that the young man could catch up with them.

“I have the documents from Healer Patil,” Percy said breathlessly, having also battled his way through the growing mob downstairs.

“And?” Amelia prompted. 

“With all due respect, I think my brother should hear this before anyone else,” Percy stated firmly though neither the Minister nor Department Head missed the glassy look in Percy’s eyes as he desperately attempted to keep his tears at bay.

“ Of course,” Amelia nodded as they arrived at the room that had been assigned to the Weasley patriarch. “We’ll wait outside until you all are ready.”

With a nod of thanks, Percy left the pair and entered the room quietly.

At his request, Percy knew all of his siblings would be gathered in a show of support for their youngest brother. He did not want to even imagine the amount of pain his brother was about to experience and there was very little anyone would be able to do to ease his hurt. 

For what seemed like the hundredth time that day, Percy took a deep and  
calming breath before he silently entered the room. It would do him no good to begin crying once again before he could tell his family what he had learnt.

George was busy regaling his father with a lively reenactment of a failed product testing session that left him with cherry red skin while Charlie, one of his older brothers, sought to transfer some of his magic to their father in an attempt to keep him alive until a resolution had been achieved. 

They all knew that their father was reluctant to feed off his children's magic and had said as much but none of his children could fathom losing him with their family in such turmoil. 

Their mother, Molly, had been inconsolable since Headmaster Snape had revealed that there was strong possibility that she had called this terrible faith upon her own family. Compounded with the fact that it was suspected that, she had ended any pregnancy that Hermione carried, there was little anyone could say to heal her heart. Percy’s heart twisted painfully when he recalled the way his mother ululated when he visited her in holding cell at the Ministry after she had given her testimony. She had begged and pleaded with him to tell her that what Snape had said was a lie and that there was no way for her to be behind the abortion of her to own grandchildren. There was little comfort he could give her though, because what Snape had said was the truth.

He could see the unrest in his siblings. They had been expecting Percy to contact them as soon as the test had been done. After all, the position he held in the Minister’s office made him the prime candidate to witness the  
needed cum sequelis ad fetum amissa on Hermione but after the test had been completed and the paperwork done, Percy had sat on a bench in Hogsmeade for quite some time, gently tracing the distinct magical signatures of his nieces and nephews that would never be. 

The raw pain that poured from Hermione. 

The blankness that fell in her eyes. 

The reality that lives had been taken. 

All of it crippled him. The heavens alone knew what it would do to Ronald.

Ronald had withdrawn from all of them when he had been informed of his mother’s actions. He had disappeared for the night leaving everyone in a panic. They had searched well into the early hours of the morning for him until George had found him at the apartment he once shared with Hermione during their marriage surrounded by an empty bottle of firewhiskey and pictures of their wedding.

“You should be good for a few days, Dad,” Charlie said with a tired smile as he let go of his father's hand.

“Thank you, son,” Arthur said with a small smile. “How lucky am I to have such amazing sons?”

“We’re the lucky ones,” Bill rebutted. “ We're were blessed to have a father who sat us on his shoulders and who loves us beyond all measure. What we are doing for you is never and will never be a hardship.” 

“Well said, Bill,” Percy interjected as he finally announced his presence. 

“Percy,” Arthur smiled as he tried to sit up. 

“Hello, everyone,” Percy greeted as he fully entered the room. “How are you feeling, Dad?”

“ Good as I can be,” Arthur answered before shooting a nervous look at his youngest son who was dosing in a darkened corner of the room. “Have you seen your mother?” 

“ I did. I saw her this morning and just before lunch. I took her a bacon and eggs sandwich and thermos of tea for breakfast and a roast beef sandwich, a container of potato salad and a refillable goblet of water for lunch. She did eat some but not all. She was able to shower and change this morning as well,” Percy whispered, having been informed that Ronald was lashing out whenever he heard mention of his mother.

“Oh, is she still crying?” Arthur asked as tears filled his eyes. 

“No,” Percy lied, “She’s more concerned with finding a solution and getting you back on your feet. Amelia and Kingsley are outside as well. It's concerning the a cum sequelis ad fetum amissa.”

“No point in keeping them outside.” Ronald’ s voice cut through the room like a well placed Sectumsempra.

“Ron, I think this is something we should talk about as a family. You should know this before them,” Percy said gently.

“It doesn't matter when they hear it,” Ron spat as he leapt up from his seat. 

“Ron, we know you're hurt.” Ginny began to say in a tone that reminded Percy of a mother who was pacifying a child, only to have Ronald turn on her.

“Hurt? Hurt?” Ronald roared. “I'm not hurt. I am devastated. I feel like a hole has been punched in my chest. Rage and madness is licking through me like molten lava, burning me at my very core.”

“Calm down, Ronald,” Harry Potter growled, stepping in front of his wife.

“Or what? What are you going to do? Why are you even here?” Ronald taunted as the two men squared off.

“I’m here as your friend and brother-in-law. I understand that you are grieving but I’m not going to let you harm my wife, Ron. No matter how hurt you are,” Harry stated as he slipped his wand into his hand.

“You're right!” Ronald laughed darkly. “You will never let anyone harm your wife. However, the woman you love is another story.”

“Ron, behave yourself,” Arthur chided from his bed.

“Oh come off it, all of you! We all know it. Harry Potter is married to my sister but he was and still is in love with Hermione but she chose me. She married me.” Ronald smirked darkly. 

“What nonsense are you spewing! I love my wife. Hermione is my friend. Don't put your failings of being a husband on me,” Harry threw back venomously. “You failed to protect her.”

“I listened to you! Every word you said about her placing her job above me. Every late night meeting you suggested was an office fling. I listened to you. I believed you. You were supposed to be my brother!” Ronald bellowed, his skin taking on an unhealthy red tinge. “You were that little voice in my head, making me doubt her and question her. You wanted to see my marriage fall apart so you could swoop in and get your girl. “

“Ronald, you are being absolutely ridiculous, ” Ginny spat, interjecting herself into the verbal sparring match playing out for all to see.

“Am I? Drunk words are sober thoughts. Was Harry lying to everyone on his stag night when he said that he was going to use the fallout from the article about Hermione trying to get changes to the Hogwarts’ curriculum done, to uninvite Hermione to your wedding? After all, how could he marry you, Ginerva, when the woman he wanted to make those vows to, was mine? Don't believe me, Ginny? Ask your brothers.” Ronald taunted.

“Ronald, that is enough!” Arthur reprimanded. “Do not try to cause problems in your sister’s home.” 

The damage though, had already been done.

“Is any of that true, Harry?” Ginny asked softly, moving so that she was looking directly into her husband’s eyes. “You're in love with Hermione?”

“I was but how could I love such a monster?” Harry responded.

“That’s why you were hell bent on getting her arrested. That’s why you were so obsessed. You were trying desperately to make her the monster you envisioned so that you would finally be able to hate her.” Ginny whispered as tears fell freely from her eyes. “Do you still love her? You are still in love with Hermione?”

“It’s difficult to stop loving your moon, Ginny,” Ronald sneered. “The unattainable beauty that is forever out of your reach; scarred and imperfect yet there will never be another to rival her beauty.”

Harry’s lowered head was all the confirmation she needed. The pain and realization that her husband of thirteen years loved another woman, had sent Ginny reeling back into the welcoming arms of her elder brother, George, as she began to cry.

“Damn it, Ron!” George swore as he gently rubbed his sister's back. “We get it. You're hurt but destroying others isn’t going to help anyone.”

“You don't get it.” Ronald whispered, his voice trembling in rage. “None of you will ever understand the pain I feel or the regret that has been crippling me since the day of Hermione’s arrest. I was an insecure little boy, pretending to be a man. I lived in a world where the man that I considered to be my best friend and brother, loved my wife and wanted her to be his. I knew he would always been in the wings waiting. When she was most vulnerable, instead of protecting her, I allowed him to drag her through the mud so that she would be sullied and imperfect hoping it would shatter the image he had of her and help him get her out of his system. It didn't work though. Harry still loved her. After all, how can you stop loving the woman who loved you so unconditionally through every hurdle? She was there even when I turned my back. She protected us from day one. She protected Harry from day one so selflessly, so purely but somehow despite my flaws and my fault, she chose me. She chose me over the Boy- Who -Lived, over the fame, over everything and everyone. She chose me. Those months after the war, was the happiest ever in my life. 

She didn't even know that there were so many others who would love her. She stood by me but I couldn't stand by her because to me, she was wasting her time. Who gave a shit about having magical studies? What did it matter if magical practices and traditions were taught? Add that to the already existing muggle studies and and all we saw was a recipe for disaster. I wanted her by my side, relishing in the peace that we had fought for. I also foolishly listened to what people were saying. Everytime I heard someone comment on our relationship, I flew into a rage because no one ever had anything good to say. Do you know how many times I walked in on Mum complaining to Ginny about how Hermione was making me a laughing stock because of her causes? It didn't take much until I was transported back to a time when I was in Hogwarts constantly living in my brothers’ shadows or as Potter’s sidekick. 

When I couldn't take it anymore, I lashed out. I wanted her to hurt even more than I was hurting. I was vicious and relentless. I berated her. The things I told her. The things I called her. To me, none of it mattered. None of her idea were worth the heartache and I hated that she wasn't willing to walk away from it all for me. If I was a better man, I would have placed her before myself. I would have seen her worth and would have chosen to understand why she had to champion causes that seems so worthless. 

It’s only now we see the value of what she did in the few short years before her incarceration.” 

Everyone hung on every word that Ronald spoke, as they were hit with the depth of pain that seeped from him. At one point, Charlie moved to embrace his youngest brother but was stopped by a shake of the head from Bill. 

“Then the marriage law came about,” Ron continued, his voice eerily monotoned. “And even though I knew people in our family hated her and even though I knew she probably hated me, I asked Kingsley to pair her to me.”

“Ron,”Arthur whispered in shock. 

“Don’t sound so shocked,” Ronald scuffed. “The process to match partners was rigged from the start. Consequences be damned. I still loved her and I wanted her to be mine. I didn't care what anyone thought. I didn't care what she thought. Kingsley agreed. He didn't even hesitate saying that it was better she be paired with me than the man she had been paired with through the matching ritual. I married her, vowed before all to love and protect her and after all the ceremonies and rituals were completed, I threw her into a snake pit. 

At every possible turn, someone was talking down to her and eager to point out her flaws. Angela, Fleur, Ginny, Laura and Mum would have lunches and invite Hermione along, only to laugh and taunt her because she didn't conceive yet. 

Do you know Laura, your wife Charlie, is second cousins with Rita Skeeter?” Ronald asked, turning to face the brother in question.

“No, I didn't,” Charlie stuttered, looking wildly at his brothers who were all visibly as shocked as he was.

“Yeah,” Ron shrugged, “I found out about that just last year. Lavender told me. It was through Laura and Angelina that Rita knew what to write. Every disagreement between Hermione and the family was shared with Rita. Do you know how many times I found her crying about not having children? She wanted children so badly. She blamed herself so much and I blamed her too. I called her barren. I told her she wasn’t a woman. I told her that she was a failure and that she was so busy kissing pureblood ass that magic thought she was unfit to be a mother and was working against us in conceiving a child. I was a monster. I did not hit her. I never physically hurt her but I beat her down mentally and emotional every single day. I tortured her and then she got arrested for the abortion potions,” Ronald broke off with a gasp of pain as the dam broke.

“I hated her,” he sobbed as Percy stepped forward and pulled his brother into an embrace. “I actually believed she could do that. I asked my friends who were guarding Azkaban to make her life a living hell and they did. They beat her and starved her. When they didn't feel like tormenting her, they would throw her in with a death eater. They would keep the dementors close to her cell at all the time. I made sure of it because I believed she was a monster.

I stood by Harry and we destroyed any hope she could have off getting out or any hope of that marriage law being repelled. After all, that was the only thing keeping her there and she had brought it all upon herself. There she was, fighting for another one of her causes and it landed her in Azkaban. My rage blinded me. If I was thinking carefully, from the moment Harry arrested her for those potions, I should have known that something was not quite right. I have my children now, my beautiful boys and my little princess but no amount of love I feel for them could measure up to the love I would have felt for a child made of Hermione and I.”

“Ron, you can't possibly mean that,” George whispered softly into the shell shocked room.

“You all will never understand how difficult it is to be the youngest son in this family. There is always someone to tear you down and tease you. I was always being compared to someone else; William, the curse breaker and his veela wife, Charlie, the dragon tamer and his researcher wife working as an Unspeakable, Percy, the Undersecretary to the Minister of Magic and his wife who stays home with their children, George, the owner of the most successful business for the past five years and his wife, the sports reporter. Everyone of you was married and had their beautiful families. I thought finally, that by marrying Hermione, I had one up on everyone. She was the ultimate trophy. I didn't care about all the drama that was being caused by everyone’s dislike for her need to constantly be helping people. I didn't care that her need to do right by people would bring such negative attention on her and by extension, the family because I knew that eventually the world would see that she was right for what she was doing. She was always right.”

“More than anything though, the day Harry came to me and told me about the abortion potions, I knew that once again, I was going to be the laughing stock of the family. I could see it. I could hear Mum screaming at me for marrying her. I could hear my sisters-in-law laughing at at me behind my back. At work, they would have gossiped relentlessly. They would have said that I was so vile that Hermione would rather risk imprisonment than having a child with me. The more I thought about the situation, the more enraged I got until I just exploded and started to portray myself as the victim. I was never the victim. Do you all know that I was fucking Lavender for almost a year before Hermione’s arrest? Do you all know Hermione knew about about the affair but couldn't say anything to you all because you all made it quite clear how you all felt about her? 

I became this monster. I wanted her to hurt for robbing me of children so I really didn't care what happened in the investigation and her sentencing. I got to divorce her and marry the woman I was screwing behind my wife's back and no one cared. I got everything I wanted and more from the divorce.

Never once did I stop to think about her and what I was doing to her, what I was allowing to happen to her.”

A heavy silence fell over the room. No one knew what to say to Ronald, who pushed away from his brother and once again retreated to the furthest corner of the room.

It was Bill who finally broke the silence.

“Ron, clearly we have been quite an unsupportive family. We truly did a lot to torment and tease you a lot when when we were children. Please know that that was never our intention. We never knew our teasing had such an impact on you and for that, I speak for all of your siblings and say that we are very and truly sorry,” the oldest of the Weasley children said quite passionately. “Had I known though, that all of this was happening; that that was your thought process where Hermione was concerned, I would have never stood as a witness for your marriage.”

“Bill!” Arthur exclaimed, casting a weary eye over to Ronald who clenched his fist as his fury at his brother grew.

“You won't be able to stop me today, Dad. Not today. Not after all of this. Every day, I look at Victorie and I would never want what happened to Hermione to happen to her. I would never want Victorie to be ostracized and mistreated because she was doing the right thing. I would never want her to be thrown into Azkaban because of petty vendettas and the only way for me to ensure that my daughter is safe from the cruel world is to teach her to be meek and weak. As a father, I would have to teach my daughter to seek her own validation from others and that to to have self-worth, self-respect and self - confidence that she would have to seek the approval of other. She would be a follower; ebbing and flowing with the tides and no mind of her own. Let me tell you now, though, my daughter, by the strength of every good and pure in this world, would be Hermione’s mirror image. She would have her strength, grace, intelligence, kindness, compassion and more than anything she would know her worth. She would know that she is a person, not some trophy to be won.” Bill spat with disgust in Ron’s direction.

“Shut up, Bill! You don't know what you're talking about!” Ron sneered, taking a step towards his brother. 

“I do know exactly what I am talking about. You latched yourself onto Hermione like a leech when she was at her most vulnerable following the war and every man was a threat because you knew she could do much better than you. You ‘allowing’,” Bill drawled sarcastically, “ Harry to do his investigations and not putting a stop to the smear campaign was not to help Harry stop having affections for Hermione. It was to destroy her name so badly and surround her with so much negative attention that no man would dare step forward.”

“And you, Ginny,” Bill growled, rounding on the red haired female who was visibly shaken by what her eldest brother was saying. “ All of this scheming and gossiping and giving Rita Skeeter stories is absolute madness. You are a grown woman with three children and you reduce yourself to petty schoolyard bullshit because you are jealous of Hermione. Make no mistake, until further notice, I will be monitoring my wife’s activities like a hawk. I don't want to but you all have left me no choice.”

“I completely agree with you there, Bill,” Charlie interjected. “Laura and I will be having a long conversation tonight. All of what you just said, Ronald, is so fucked up. Hearing all you just had to say was like listening to a child speak. Your thought process is fucked up. If what you said about Harry true, then neither of you cared for her. She deserved for both of you to be honest with her and for her to be granted the courtesy of being able to make choices for herself but both of you saw her as property to claim and when you got hurt, you set out to hurt her in turn,” Charlie muttered as he looked at both Ronald and Harry in turn before continuing. “You going to Kingsley to ask to be paired with Hermione when you knew how strained things were between her and the family was the most selfish act I have ever heard off. Make no mistake Ron, your brothers knew of Hermione’s worth long before you did and trust me when I say, Harry was not the only one waiting in the wings for you to mess things up.” 

“What is that supposed to mean?” Ronald growled as he noticed his brothers nodding in agreement to Charlie’s last statement.

“It means that any of us would have been honoured to have her as our wife, had a marry law not forced our hands.” After hearing Charlie’s admission, Ron, full of rage, charged at his brother, sending them both crashing into the wall.

Charlie, thanks of his seeker reflexes, quickly retaliated and flipped Ronald onto his stomach and pinned behind his hands behind his back.

“I’m going to kill you!” Ron roared as he fought to free himself from his brother’s grasp.

“You can try,” Charlie smirked from where he sat on his brother’s back. “I have been waiting for months to kick your ass. I’ll have you flat out before you can blink.”

“Guys, please,” Percy whispered. “This is not helping anyone. We have a very big problem in our hands and all of this fighting is not going to help anything. Amelia and Kingsley are right outside, waiting to speak to me. Please.”

At Percy’s words, all of the fight seemed to leave Ronald and a cold, somber feeling filled the room.

Wordlessly, Charlie stood and helped Ronald to his feet.

“Was she ever pregnant?” Ronald asked.

“Yes,” Percy answered as he choked back a sob.

“How many times was she pregnant?” Ron whispered, as he leaned back against the hospital’s wall in a poorly veiled attempt to brace himself against the news his brother was about to share with him.

Silently, Percy pulled out the tiny bit of parchment that bore the seven distinct magical signatures of his brother’s wrongfully aborted children and handed it to the shaking man.“Healer Patil was able to confirm seven viable pregnancies.”

The reaction to Percy’s news was varied. Ginny, having recently gone through a miscarriage, began to sob hysterically and collapsed into her husband's arms; their differences being forgotten in a shared moment of grief that only a parent who had lost a child would know. Both Charlie and Bill swore with Bill going so far as to send his fist through a wall. George moved to his father's side as tears fell silently from their eyes.

“Seven?” Ron repeated shakily, quickly glancing down at the magical signatures on the parchment before his legs seemed to fold from beneath him, sending him crashing to the floor. “If it wasn't for Mum’s interference, Hermione and I would have had seven little ones?” 

“Yes,” Percy answered as he knelt down in front of his brother.

“I have to go see her. Hermione. She must be devastated. She always wanted kids. She wanted to name our daughter, Rose and our son, Hugo,” Ronald ranted widely as he struggled to his feet, his eyes glazed and unfocused.“I have to go see her.”

“Ron, you can't go to see her,” Percy objected, putting a gentle hand on his brother’s shoulders. “She is receiving medical attention and no one is being given entry to Hogwarts. You need permission to get in from the Headmaster and you will do well to stay far from him right now.”

“I have to go and be by her side. She can't go through this alone. Her babies are gone. I should carry some roses and maybe some chocolates. She does have a sweet tooth,” Ron continued to mutter as he finally made it to his feet.

“Ron,” Arthur called softly as he hastily dried his tears, “come here for a minute.”

“I can't. Not now. I have to go to see Hermione. She must be so hurt,” Ron insisted.

“Just one minute?” Arthur pleaded, stretching out a trembling hand towards his son.

“Only a minute, Dad. I have to go and see Hermione.” Ronald huffed impatiently as he walked over to his father and sat on the edge of the bed.

“Ron, my sweet youngest son, I want you to listen to me,” Arthur said with the gentleness that only a father could possess. “Hermione’s babies are your babies. You shared seven babies with Hermione but they are not here, son. Your babies are not here. Do you understand me?”

“Yes, Dad. Hermione’s babies are not here. They died,” Ron parroted back so emotionless that his brothers’ all flinched.

“Your babies too, son. Hermione’s babies are your babies too.”

“My babies,” Ronald repeated. 

Arthur saw the moment the pain of the truth hit his son. He didn't hesitate to fold his arms around his son as heart wrenching sobs broke free.

“My babies! My babies!” Ron wailed into his father’s chest. “What have I do? What have I done?”

Knowing there was little he could say to ease his son’s pain, Arthur simply held him close.

Minutes passed and Ron’s cries could heard out in the corridor where both the Minister of Magic and Head of the Department for Magical Law Enforcement stood and as much as the pair wished to allow the family a time to grieve, the situation surrounding the perfectum tempestas had changed so drastically in the past few minutes that they needed to speak with Percy immediately. 

Knocking firmly on the door, the pair entered the room and into a heartbreaking scene. 

“My apologies for the intrusion, Arthur,” Amelia began, noting the distressed and tormented looks on the faces of all gathered. “But I need to speak with Percival about the results of the test today.”

“Can’t you just give us a few more minutes to process this?” Arthur pleaded as Ron’s cries turned into sobs.

“I wish I could but things have changed. It is urgent that I get those results. Please,” Amelia stated as she looked over at Percy who showed no inclination of handing over the results.

“What's changed? What's changed so drastically that we can't have a moment to grieve?” Percy asked, a curious look on his face.

“Rita Skeeter is dead. Her magic completely left,” Kingsley responded in his deep voice, his admission stunning the room into silence. “The perfectum tempestas has claimed its first victim.”


End file.
